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25% of Google Play Apps Are Dodgy [Infographic]

It’s one of those things that Apple fans love to lord over the PC-lovers and, more recently, the Android-lovers. Viruses and malware. Apple just seems to get fewer. It probably has to do with the fact that the Google Play system is a lot more open than the Apple App Store. With all the good you get from that, you get all the bad too. If you’re not careful.

A recent review by security software firm Bit9 found that among other interesting statistics, 100K Android applications (of the 400K+ apps) could pose a security risk to the device.

One of the shocking things is that 26 per cent of apps in the Google Play marketplace access your private information (such as your email and contacts) and only 2 per cent of those apps are from highly trusted publishers.

That’s a lot of dodgyness if you ask me.

Despite what the Apple fan-boy who used to live inside me might think, this doesn’t mean everyone should buy iPhones (especially since you now get the horrific iOS6 with them *shudder*). What it instead means is be careful of what you download. Before you download any application, and before you give it any permissions, research it first and verify that it’s safe.

I agree with the article … I have noticed the bizzare permissions some apps may request … Some games request a permission to send and receive messages . prevent the phone from sleeping , control the wi-fi enable options . Recently I also found out that not all permissions are showed at first glance and sometimes you need to click the see all to show sometimes over 5 or 6 hidden permissions

At least with Android apps (from the Google Store) you get to see what those apps have access to before downloading them. Apple doesn't display any of that.

I for one prefer the Google method over Apple holding my hand. If I want to put some app on *my* device I shouldn't have some outside company preventing that. It's my device and my responsibility for what happens to it and my data.